Glass Shards
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: Things turned sour for Nishinoya and Azumane in their youth, and wrongs were never righted. Almost a decade later, Nishinoya is still unsure f those wrongs can be righted. *An AU oneshot set in my Birds of a Feather AU, but may be read on its own; set after "Promotion" in the BoaF collection; slash.


**Glass Shards**

A Haikyuu! oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _Haikyuu!_ characters belong to Furudate Haruichi-sensei, not to me. I love Asanoya and have been heartbroken since early on in writing my _Birds of a Feather_ AU (an AU in which Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita never joined Karasuno's volleyball club) since I knew what had happened to them… BUT! This fic stands on its own so you don't _have_ to read the fics in the BoaF collection to enjoy this. Read this simply if you like Asanoya or Nishinoya! -w- Read, review, and enjoy! * Note: Though you don't have to read the BoaF fics to enjoy this, things _will_ be clearer if you do; this is set after the 4th story, "Promotion" (links at bottom of my FFN profile).

\- ^-^3

Nishinoya Yuu hummed to himself in his tiny cluttered apartment one Thursday in late November. He worked part-time in a bar owned by his best friend's sister, and today was his day off. That meant one thing to Nishinoya: a day of research.

Sometimes it still struck him as amusing that he cooked. He'd not been very good at it about ten years ago, when he was still in high school…actually, he'd not been very good at a lot of things. Probably the only thing Nishinoya had excelled at was playing libero for the Karasuno High School volleyball club.

Thinking about the club always made him smile. He minimized his web browser on his laptop and opened his Pictures folder. There were a lot of candid shots in there, but those were his favorites. Pictures of him and Tanaka, his closest friend, when they had just met and just joined the club were probably his favorite favorites. Even now, Nishinoya still had a lot of photos of them goofing off, because they still hung out together, even outside of the bar, when the chance allowed for it. They enjoyed a similar taste in clothes, shared most music, and watched all the same movies. If Nishinoya had ever had a brother, Tanaka would be him.

Following that train of thought, Nishinoya returned to his browser. He wanted to find a new dessert to test-run at the bar, The Roost, because he felt the need to celebrate. Since high school, Tanaka had thrown himself into running his sister, Saeko-san's, bar. Nishinoya hadn't been much different, although The Roost was not his only part-time job. Anyway, a new customer had become more than a regular at The Roost, and Tanaka had fallen hard for the guy. After a series of misunderstandings and one important fight, Tanaka had begun dating businessman Ennoshita Chikara in earnest, and now it was clear blue skies for the two. Nishinoya was happy for his friends.

His bronze eyes flickered back to the Pictures folder. The cursor hovered over an old image from Nishinoya's second year of high school. The image was a club photo with all the members—but Nishinoya closed the folder before opening the file. He was determined to stay happy right now, and memories would not keep him that way.

"Blue skies for Ryuu and Chikara," the cook half sang to himself as he sifted through hundreds of dessert pictures on the internet. He came across a cake with fondant decorations. Huh. That was pretty. He'd never worked with fondant before, but he liked the idea of dyeing it blue.

He emailed the picture to himself and looked up instructions for making fondant. Even though he had the day off, it didn't mean he was banned from The Roost. In fact, he often went in when he had no work because he couldn't afford a bigger place with a nicer kitchen. But he really wanted to give his new idea a shot. So to The Roost he went. He really couldn't bear to stay away for long.

\- ^-^3

The cook walked to his favorite kitchen store and bought a few new tools he knew he couldn't mimic with what he already had in the backroom at The Roost. After, he hit the grocery store and purchased his missing ingredients. The Roost was within walking distance, like most of Nishinoya's haunts, so he enjoyed the feeling of crisp winter air as he made his way to the bar.

He wondered who'd be there tonight. Probably everyone. Hinata and Kageyama… Even Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were coming around more often. Ennoshita, of course, because Tanaka could always be found behind the counter, so Ennoshita always sat at said counter. They were seeing less of Saeko-san and her new husband, Akiteru-san, these days, but that was fine. They were newly married and Saeko-san was pregnant. They had a _lot_ of planning to do.

When he reached the outside door to The Roost, Nishinoya paused. He heard noise downstairs— _music_. Weird. Tanaka normally kept the bar quiet unless there was cause to celebrate. Or was there cause to celebrate? Tanaka and Ennoshita had made up a couple of days ago…did that count? Nishinoya shrugged it off and checked his mail on his phone as he descended. Well, if there really _were_ cause to celebrate, then all the better that he wanted to try out fondant cake. It should be perfectly timed, too, since Nishinoya often had luck with new recipes on the first try.

Nishinoya stashed his phone as he entered the bar. "Yo, Ryuu!" he called out. "I got a new dessert idea—" His words died in his throat and his smile fell off his face.

Conversation dropped off, but the music still played, albeit hollowly ringing in the cook's ears. There were a lot more people there tonight than Nishinoya could've imagined. The usual faces were present, but the old ones were what quieted him.

Beside Hinata sat Karasuno's former managers, Yachi Hitoka and Shimizu Kiyoko. Yachi they saw every now and then around The Roost, but they hadn't seen Shimizu for years. She looked good.

The same could be said of the other couple sitting across from them and beside Kageyama, Sugawara Koushi and Sawamura Daichi. Karasuno's former vice-captain and captain of the volleyball club. Sugawara hadn't aged at all, though Sawamura did look a little more mature.

Ennoshita's best friends, Narita and Kinoshita, rounded out the gathered bodies. Nishinoya could see Ennoshita and Tanaka in his periphery, but they as well as the others blurred in Nishinoya's vision, because…

Sitting at the end of the table was Azumane Asahi.

But that couldn't be right…could it? Nishinoya wasn't sure. A fountain of memories surged in his mind, but he couldn't sort through them right now. For a brief second, he wanted to cry in relief, but the urge was quelled and replaced by the sudden onset of anger. "Asahi-san?" he rasped.

Azumane stared back at him, unblinking. It _did_ look like Karasuno Volleyball Club's ace, but he was an older version. His jaw was a little squarer. His beard was trimmed as neatly as ever, but his long hair was even longer, reaching maybe halfway down his back. Yet his eyes were unchanged. There existed the same fragility in them that Nishinoya had witnessed almost ten years ago. Yes. This _was_ Azumane Asahi.

Blood rushed in Nishinoya's ears, and he tightened his grip on his shopping bag without thinking. He stalked forward and Azumane was up out of his chair in a flash. Just as quickly, Tanaka had put the plates of food down and blocked his best friend's path.

"Noya-san, don't—" Tanaka started.

"You let me at him, Ryuu!" Nishinoya barked. He tried pushing past Tanaka, but the latter tried to detain him. He stared Azumane down the whole time. "Let me at that bastard!"

"Noya, _no_! Stop!" The bartender attempted to grab his wrists.

But Nishinoya was in a fighting mood and struggled. "Let me at him! _Let me at him_!" he spat.

Tanaka had a hard time controlling the smaller man, who had the energy to resist. "Urgh… A little help, guys!"

Kageyama and Ennoshita ran over, but Azumane kept skirting the perimeter. Still, Nishinoya didn't lose track of him. "Lemme go!" Nishinoya growled. Kageyama already had one of his arms, and Tanaka was trying to secure the other.

"Noya-san, calm d—" With a hard thud, Nishinoya's free fist collided with Tanaka's jaw, and the bartender's head snapped back and to the left. The hit sent him into a nearby table, and he fell on his backside in a heap of furniture.

The clamor snapped the cook out of his white-hot daze. Azumane seized the chance to leave the bar hurriedly, but Nishinoya didn't go after him. He deflated, though Kageyama held on to his other arm as they watched Ennoshita help Tanaka up. Shimizu left her seat and approached Tanaka as well, and she told Yachi to go get the first aid kit.

Yachi brought the kit and passed Shimizu some gauze, which Tanaka snatched from her and pressed against his mouth. He spat into it and folded the gauze over, but Nishinoya saw the red stain of blood.

Nishinoya grimaced and yanked his arm free from Kageyama.

"Noya-senpai?" Kageyama mumbled.

The cook closed his eyes and picked up his bag, which he'd dropped during the commotion. "Sorry, Ryuu," he said through gritted teeth.

Tanaka furrowed his brow but said nothing.

Nishinoya turned to the others, but he didn't linger on any single face for too long. "I'd like to say it's nice to see you all again," he forced, "but…I guess it's obvious that's not the truth." He bowed his head as an apology and turned on his heel to go.

Once upon a time, he would've believed in Tanaka to follow him when his temper got the better of him. Yet this time was different, and Nishinoya didn't blame Tanaka for staying behind. Maybe Nishinoya had finally gone too far, and it was time for everyone else to do as Azumane had and stop putting up with his childish self.

The only thing was, Nishinoya wished he could stop putting up with himself, too.

\- ^-^3

That night, Nishinoya could barely calm down. His temper wouldn't be snuffed out, and so his sleep was restless. He kept thinking back to the first and last time he had seen Azumane, but his brain wouldn't focus on the memories, so it was like watching snippets of various movie trailers over and over without anything sticking.

Still…Azumane looked good. _Really_ good. And Nishinoya wanted to kick himself for thinking about Azumane's handsomeness.

When he finally got up early the following morning, he checked his phone. No messages. Nishinoya frowned, though he wasn't surprised. He and Tanaka occasionally roughhoused and they'd had bad fights before, but they'd _never_ hurt each other. Nishinoya really had gone too far.

He tried working off his anger at one of his other part-time jobs for a small construction firm. They gave him mostly small-scale odd jobs, but he often just did a lot of painting. It could be frustrating, especially at times like these when all he wanted to do was move a lot of things around to spend his pent-up energy.

At least his other part-time job let him do that. He borrowed the store bike to act as delivery boy for a flower shop called Shared Stem. The boutique was a little small compared to other businesses on the same street, but it did extremely well. Nishinoya liked to believe that was partly due to the fact that he could handle rush orders—like those where the customer called only ten minutes beforehand. Though he supposed it didn't hurt that the store pulled in a lot of walk-in customers because of Tachibana, the other part-timer… But still, Shared Stem was a good place for Nishinoya.

"Ah, Nishinoya-san," Tachibana said when the cook arrived at the boutique at midday. "I've got a few deliveries already."

"'Kay, just lemme put my bag in my locker," Nishinoya replied. He disappeared into the back, stuck his duffle with his construction work clothes in his locker, and pulled the dark green Shared Stem hoodie on over his long-sleeved shirt. He grabbed his earmuffs and then returned to the front counter.

Tachibana had already gathered together the orders, and he passed Nishinoya the receipt pad. "They're all wreaths," the taller male explained, "so the twine wrapping won't damage them too much."

Nishinoya frowned. "Wreaths already…? Ugh…"

"Well, it's almost December."

"But it's _still_ November."

"Some people like to get a head start." Tachibana's eyes drifted across the room, which was half decorated for the season. "I like Christmas, though, don't you?"

The libero shrugged and said nothing.

"By the way, Boss was asking about the schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I can't do Christmas Day." He paused and then turned his large green eyes on his coworker. "Might you…?"

Nishinoya wanted to say no. But Tachibana was a big guy—a big guy who wasn't as tough as he seemed. And Nishinoya had a weakness for big guys with fragile hearts. Besides, it wasn't as if he had anything to do on Christmas, and Tachibana already didn't see his pro-athlete lover enough as it stood. So Nishinoya nodded. "Just write me in whenever. And, actually, I wouldn't mind picking up more shifts."

Tachibana nodded but didn't look convinced. "…is everything all right? You usually talk about how you can't wait to create new items for the bar's menu."

He waved Tachibana off and forced a laugh. "No, no! I'm fine, honestly! And I've gotta get going. These wreaths aren't gonna deliver themselves."

The taller man pursed his lips but handed over the products and the key to the bike lock anyway.

Outside, on the bicycle, Nishinoya could feel his stress lessening. He pedaled as hard as he could, and he had everything delivered in under an hour. By the time he was back and collecting more orders to deliver, he had a light sheen of sweat on his brow and he was feeling exponentially better. The day ended without a fuss…until Nishinoya remembered he had a couple of hours due at The Roost.

He grimaced as he left the flower shop. To head home or not to head home—that was the dilemma. On the one hand, work meant pay, which meant food and rent. But a night ago, Nishinoya had punched his best friend. And everyone had seen that happen. So, on the other hand, he didn't know how tense things would be because of last night. His stomach tightened the closer his feet took him to The Roost until he was finally a block away.

Then his nerves won out and he ducked around a corner to text Tanaka.

 _-Caught a cold from being out last night. Can't work for now. –Noya_

Was it too obvious a lie? No, it couldn't be. Nishinoya Yuu could be ninety-percent convincing bravado when he wanted.

A message made his phone buzz a couple of minutes later. It was Tanaka.

 _-Get better. I'll cover. –T_

Nishinoya's shoulders slackened. Man, Tanaka was a good guy. He made a mental note to make it up to Tanaka later, but all the cook could focus on was his relief at being given the chance to play hooky.

\- ^-^3

No one bothered him the first two nights he played sick. The third night in a row, Monday, didn't matter either, as the bar was closed on Mondays.

Nishinoya took the opportunity to pick up extra work at the construction company since Shared Stem could only offer one extra shift. The more Nishinoya did the work, though, the more he considered the possibility of making the switch permanent. Maybe he spent too much time at The Roost with his old friends. Maybe part of his plan to mature involved dropping the friendships of his youth…

…no. No way in hell could he ever do that. Nishinoya angrily hammered some beams together at a project site early Tuesday morning. How could he even think that was a possibility?! Karasuno was equivalent to life for him. If he hadn't been convinced of that before with the friendships that had persisted, then he would've been after meeting Ennoshita. As it had turned out, Ennoshita and his friends had also gone to Karasuno. They even liked volleyball! In fact, Ennoshita, Narita, and Kinoshita probably would've been Nishinoya's friends back then, too, earlier on if only they had joined the club. Translation? Karasuno had and remained the libero's destiny.

But…if that were true… Then Azumane…

Nishinoya squeezed his eyes shut and paused hammering. Dammit. It was a _really_ bad idea to take a walk down Memory Lane during work.

While he couldn't help it if his mind wandered to The Roost and its personas, he now tried to focus solely on the food and his menu ideas.

They had typical bar food at The Roost, but Saeko-san had long ago suggested real restaurant food after a year of business. That was when Nishinoya had begun working there in earnest. Now the menu was eclectic, offering Eastern _and_ Western dishes—whatever tickled his fancy, he'd learn to make it and put it on the menu. Of course the bestsellers were still the traditional Japanese dishes because, other than Karasuno alumni, the bar had a few older regulars from the neighborhood. But the Western items sold, too.

Nishinoya entertained the idea of finally doing the fondant cake that night, but he knew he'd have to show his face for that to happen. He got through the rest of the day, changed at home, and went to The Roost.

The usual silence greeted him. At that he released a sigh of relief. There wouldn't be any more surprises tonight.

Hinata and Kageyama were absent. Yamaguchi was just paying for his and Tsukishima's dinner when Nishinoya came downstairs. Other than an elderly couple in the booth right inside the door, only Ennoshita and Tanaka remained.

Tsukishima left without even a hello, but Yamaguchi ducked his head at his senpai, gave Nishinoya his characteristic "Sorry about Tsukki" smile, and trailed after his friend. Tanaka had his back turned towards Nishinoya behind the counter, but Ennoshita waved.

"H-Hey…Ryuu," the libero stuttered.

Still Tanaka didn't turn around. Did it really have to be this way?

Nishinoya frowned. "Ryuu, I'm sorry." It took a lot of effort, but he poured all of his sincerity into the apology and he said it without nervousness.

Yet Tanaka remained with his back facing the shorty.

Nishinoya's frown became a grimace, and he could sense his anger bubbling up. Ennoshita looked between the two of them and rolled his eyes. He took a rubber band from his briefcase and flicked it at Tanaka.

"Hey!" Tanaka growled at the businessman. But at least he'd turned.

Now the cook understood why his best friend had been ignoring him. The skin was discolored around the area where Nishinoya had hit him. But shouldn't there be a real bruise? "Your face…"

The bartender sighed and grabbed a napkin from the bar counter. He wiped his jaw, revealing a light, purplish bruise. "It was Yachi's makeup," he confessed. He glanced at the elderly couple, but they seemed to have no interest in how much of a brawler Tanaka looked like. "Yachi suggested it so I wouldn't scare off our clientele."

"I told him it wouldn't work well," Ennoshita remarked. He rolled his eyes again. "Yachi is paler."

"Oh" was all Nishinoya could get out. _Jeez_ , he was relieved. Tanaka didn't hate him—he just didn't want _anyone_ to see the bruise, including Nishinoya. The cook had to sit down beside Ennoshita so he could get a hold of himself.

"How are you feeling?" Ennoshita asked.

Right. Nishinoya had been pretending to be sick. "Uh, better," he answered, which was the truth. The past few days had gotten him to calm down.

"Good," the businessman said. He hesitated and then gave the cook a wary smile. "By the way… I've been meaning to apologize."

"What? No, Chikara, none of you have anything to apologize for."

"No, no—Azumane-san… I met him through work and we hit it off."

Nishinoya shut up.

Ennoshita proceeded to tell him what had been going on in the background for a little over a month. Ever since Ennoshita had returned to work at Marketing for Ukai Corporation, Sugawara had been grooming him for a promotion. Part of convincing Ennoshita had involved meeting Azumane, who Sugawara was also trying to convince to advance in his own department in Distribution. As it happened, Ennoshita had befriended Azumane easily. Then Ennoshita recently met Shimizu and, one thing leading to another, Ennoshita had arranged a Karasuno reunion. But despite Shimizu's hint that Azumane and Nishinoya not meet, Ennoshita had invited Azumane anyway. It was why Ennoshita had confirmed when Nishinoya had the night off from The Roost so that maybe everyone save Nishinoya could get reacquainted. However, then Nishinoya dropped by anyway… "I sincerely did not mean to start something," the businessman finished, his smile fading fully. "But I never imagined what would happen _did_."

The libero's shoulders sagged. "No… You don't have to apologize." He groaned. "I didn't even think I'd react so bad if I ever saw him again."

"May I ask what happened between you two?"

Nishinoya exchanged a look with Tanaka. The latter shrugged, as if to say "Up to you if you wanna share." So the cook stood and gestured for Ennoshita to join him in the backroom, where The Roost's kitchen was located. Nishinoya set his ingredients and tools on the counter and shrugged out of his jacket. He donned his apron and washed his hands as he resumed their conversation. "So, Suga-san was the first to find out that you'd gone to Karasuno?"

"Well, Tanaka first, but of our senpai Sugawara-san was first, yes," the businessman replied.

"And Asahi-san—he doesn't talk much about Karasuno?"

The sleepy-looking man shook his head.

Nishinoya sighed. "Asahi-san… Argh, where to start?" He chewed his lower lip. "Well, you know that we all played volleyball together and that Asahi-san and Suga-san and them were older by a year." He laid out the ingredients before him and let his hands get to work; he didn't need to reference the recipe anymore because he'd gone over it so many times in his head by now. "…Asahi-sanandIdated," he blurted in a rush.

Ennoshita said nothing. When Nishinoya glimpsed his face, it was perfectly expressionless. He was waiting for all of the story before he reacted, probably.

"It was a natural thing, now that I think about it," Nishinoya continued, his eyes back on the food. "Ryuu and I were in the same homeroom our first year, and that and volleyball kinda meant instant friendship between us. The club…was something else, though. There were the third years, awesome guys who were struggling even then to uphold our school's reputation in volleyball. Asahi-san, Suga-san, and Daichi-san were the only second-year players, and Kiyoko-san the club's sole manager. Ukai Ikkei was still our coach, because this was before he took over his company for real to focus only on the company and nothing else. But, man, Coach Ukai's practices were murder on our muscles."

He rolled the fondant out. It was white, because he didn't want to mess with the food coloring for this test batch. He took out the fat, short Styrofoam cylinder to use for practice, and he then draped the fondant over it, smoothing the bumps out carefully. When he was satisfied, Nishinoya cut off the excess fondant and started scoring the edges where he wanted to do decorations.

"Coach Ukai's practice schedule honestly almost had me complaining," the cook elaborated. He made little Xs with his knife on the cake's top. "I've got a lot of stamina, and a lot of energy. Coach seemed to want me to use all of it up by the end of each practice."

Ennoshita made a sympathetic noise. "Tanaka mentioned it was tough… Maybe it's a good thing I never joined—I don't think I could've handled that."

Nishinoya grinned. "You weren't the only one to think that way. Ryuu and I were the only first years who stuck with the team in the end after the tournament season, so our senpai kept encouraging us when _they_ were the ones who needed encouragement. Like Asahi-san… Asahi-san had a lot of pressure on him already. He was a wing spiker and our ace. I think he put the most pressure on himself, though, more than any of us or even Coach did. But we became close, and it seemed no different to me, hanging out outside of class, during a practice, at a match. It was natural for him and me to be together." Nishinoya sighed, trying and failing not to frown. "A…lot happened all at once. Maybe our timing was bad. I dunno. But we played in this pivotal match in a tournament. We had been doing well and then all of a sudden we came up against Datekougyou Technical—and we hit a wall."

"Isn't that to be expected, though?" Ennoshita asked. "Like marathon runners: they hit walls, and it's to be expected."

The libero shook his head. "No, I mean an almost _literal_ wall, Chikara. Datekou is known for its defense, the 'Iron Wall.' But we'd never come up against anything like that before. Asahi-san kept getting blocked and I—" He gritted his teeth and scored the fondant a bit too hard. His knife sank into the Styrofoam. "A libero's job is to save that ball. As long as it doesn't hit the ground, the game doesn't end. But I couldn't keep it in play, and we lost." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Everything went downhill from there. Getting on the court, even if just for practice, didn't feel right. And I couldn't face Asahi-san. He blamed— _blames_ himself for it, but I know it was me." Nishinoya paused. "Asahi-san quit and didn't come back. I mean, he tried to, the next year. That's why Shouyou and the others know him. But all he did was help out at practice a few times before he stopped coming altogether. He and I fought about it, and that only helped to end our relationship. Daichi-san and Suga-san and Kiyoko-san all continued to see him because they were in the same year, but the rest of us basically had no further interaction with him." He breathed a sigh of relief at having ended his story—even if it _was_ heavily redacted.

Ennoshita sat on the stool in front of the liquor shelves and watched Nishinoya fix the fondant and try to sculpt some things before he spoke. "So…he blames himself and you blame yourself."

"Pretty much."

"Then why that anger the other night? Sorry if I'm not seeing something, but I just feel as though your story doesn't equate to you wanting to hit _him_ at the bar. By the way, I'm also surprised that you didn't chase after him."

The cook frowned. Of course Ennoshita wasn't seeing something; Nishinoya wasn't _saying_ something, and he didn't want to. Regarding the other topic, however… "I didn't have the patience to go after him and start something in the middle of the street."

There was an odd beat before Ennoshita snickered. "Noya-san… _You_ , patient?"

Even to his ears, the libero thought it sounded strange. He cracked a smile. "I can act like it."

Ennoshita laughed, and Nishinoya joined him. They must've been fairly loud, because Tanaka stuck his head into the backroom a moment later. "Not a sound I expected to hear," the bartender remarked.

Nishinoya gave him a small smile. "Me, either. Maybe I need to find my own Chikara, Ryuu, 'cause you've got a good one here."

The other two men turned bright red. Ennoshita ushered Tanaka out after, and the kitchen was the cook's once again. But at least that was by choice and not because he had to hide out from the others.

\- ^-^3

The following day, Nishinoya texted a warning to Ennoshita. He probably didn't need to, considering the businessman was a considerate guy and now knew how delicate the situation was. Still, Ennoshita _had_ arranged a Karasuno reunion, and he _did_ work for the persuasive Sugawara, so the libero figured he better cover all his bases.

 _-Chikara! Do me a favor and don't try to fix me and Asahi-san. What has happened, happened. What will, will. But it's best to leave things as they are, trust me. –Noya_

Of course, even as he typed it out, he disagreed with himself. But Nishinoya sent the text anyway.

All in all, things quieted down. Nishinoya thought it meant that the air had been cleared now that he'd gotten a lot off his chest…yet as a week passed since the incident at the bar, the libero's discomfort grew. And he knew why. He had a guilty conscience, and it had yet to be placated.

At Shared Stem, he rubbed his temples while Tachibana had his back turned to prepare the day's packages. As soon as Tachibana turned around, Nishinoya dropped his hands and grinned through his headache. However, the headache became a migraine, and even the smells of the bar's kitchen began to get to him.

Tanaka noticed. "Hey," he said lowly, since the bar wasn't empty. "You all right?"

Nishinoya's eyes flitted to Tanaka's jaw. At least the bruise was almost gone now. "Ah…yeah. I'm fine."

The shaven-haired man sighed and stuck his head further into the backroom. "Noya… I know you weren't sick last week."

The libero was flustered. Was he really that bad a liar?!

"But maybe you're sick for real this time." Tanaka entered and felt his friend's forehead. "No…you feel fine to me."

"'Cause I'm not sick!" Nishinoya griped, swatting Tanaka's hand away. He glanced at Tanaka and then averted his eyes. "…but maybe I'll go home early since we're not busy."

"If that's your new policy, then it's a wonder you ever stay long," his friend commented. "We're never busy," he added before he returned to the bar counter.

Nishinoya frowned. It hadn't escaped him that The Roost had never experienced a full house. Still, it allowed him to have a very flexible schedule.

Sighing, the shorty finished up and left the bar. He picked up take-out and walked home, but when he got home…he didn't feel any better.

Taking a few aspirin and nibbling on some old crackers he found in a cupboard, Nishinoya sat in his living room/sleeping space and looked around. He had a tiny TV in one corner. His table had been converted into a kotatsu for the season. He had a pile of manga in another corner and his closet didn't close because he never folded his clothes right so that the door might shut. The chargers for his laptop and phone were tangled dangerously with the cord for the television. Other than all of that and the couple of boxes full of kitchen supplies and notebooks full of recipe ideas, his apartment didn't really look lived in. And that sucked.

Even ten years ago, living at home, his room had shown his personality. But now—hell, where had his personality gone? It was as if it had been sucked from him, and he was only now realizing it.

Perhaps that was why he'd reacted so poorly to seeing Azumane after all this time. He looked older now, but one could still see "Asahi-san" there in his eyes…

In his bathroom mirror, Nishinoya saw himself and nothing more. But where had he gone wrong? Where had he lost himself?

Back under the kotatsu, the libero stretched out on his back and flipped through his contacts list on his phone. He highlighted one name and dialed and let it ring and ring and—

"Nishinoya? Oh, hey! What's up?"

Ah, what a relief. "Shinji~" he moaned.

Watari Shinji chuckled on his end. "Yeah, Nishinoya. You got me. You saw me almost two months ago for your birthday. Are we making Christmas plans now?"

Nishinoya grinned. Watari was a libero like him and, despite losing to his school, Aoba Johsai, on numerous occasions, Nishinoya had held Watari in high regard of his talent and the two had become friends. In their years since high school, Watari had definitely done better for himself: He'd gone to university and been able to play at a university level. He'd studied fitness and had gone back home, but he'd met with success. He now worked as Seijou's fitness trainer. Plus, he was a nice guy who still made time for his friends.

Sure, they weren't close in the way Nishinoya and Tanaka were, but that was partly why the liberoes stayed in touch. Watari was a piece not on the chessboard but was familiar with the game and the players. Nishinoya could catch Watari up on things and the latter would understand him in an instant. There was the added benefit of not being so close that they interfered in each other's life, too. Frankly…each man was the friend to whom the other went to talk about his other friends, because some things just couldn't be shared within their respective groups.

"Nah, no Christmas plans," the crow confided. "Actually, I think I'll be a little lonelier this time around…"

"Why?" There were background noises—Watari was still at work, but practice had to be ending at this hour.

"Well, Ryuu _did_ snag that new guy I mentioned, Ennoshita. Ah, but it's all good. I like Chikara. Knowing him has made things livelier." He hesitated.

The trainer sighed. "I sense a 'but' coming."

"No, no 'but's… Just…" Nishinoya sat up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Asahi-san's back."

"Hold on." Nishinoya heard footsteps and the sound of a door latching. "I borrowed the coaches' office. So, _come again_? Azumane-san's back?"

"Yes…" He explained about Ennoshita's surprise and that he'd told Ennoshita about his history with the ace.

"But, man, he's sharp," Watari stated. "So you didn't tell him the rest?"

"…"

"Wait, Nishinoya… Does Tanaka know?"

"No."

"Hell. No wonder you sound stressed."

"I sound that way?"

"Yep."

Crap. If he sounded that way, then there was no way he had Tanaka fooled. As if it hadn't been bad enough having punched him recently! He could just hear Tanaka now, wearing a hurt expression: _"Since when did we start keeping secrets from each other?"_ But this was different, and it was Nishinoya's business. He didn't _have_ to tell Tanaka…but it felt a little unfair that Watari knew when Tanaka didn't.

"So, are you going to try to clear the air with Azumane-san?"

The other reason Nishinoya and Watari were friends: One always knew the questions the other never had the stomach to ask himself. "…I'm not sure," the crow replied, looking around his apartment once more. "It's frustrating, y'know? Like, a part of me wants to put Asahi-san totally out of my mind—but I don't think that can happen with everyone from Karasuno getting back in touch. Plus, Ennoshita is friends with him. I don't think that's an option anymore."

"Sounds as though you've already got your answer," Watari said quietly.

"I guess—but I don't like it!"

He could hear the smile in Watari's voice. "That's part of being an adult, Nishinoya." He opened the office door—the sounds of others appeared in the background.

"Hey. We've only been talking about me. What about you and Matsukawa-san?"

"Eh-heh, yeah… Maybe that's a talk for another time."

Nishinoya stood and turned on his little stovetop. With all this talking, his stomach now rumbled. "That reminds me, Shinji. You know you can come visit whenever you want. There's not a lot of space and the patisserie's on the other side of the city, but my door's always open."

"…thanks, Nishinoya." Watari sighed. "Man… Why'd we have to fall for big guys with low self-esteem?"

"That's a rhetorical question, right?" the crow retorted with a snort.

Watari took a breath, but then:

"IWA-CHAN! WATACCHI! HAPPY EARLY CHRISTMAS!" Nishinoya had to hold his phone away from his ear!

"Great. Oikawa-san showed up… Sorry, Nishinoya, but I've got to go before Iwaizumi-san kills him over this surprise visit."

"You sure you can handle that?"

"Oh, I can restrain Iwaizumi-san. Issei-san and Hanamaki-san showed me how ages ago. Good luck, Nishinoya!"

"To both of us!" the cook added, and then the line disconnected.

\- ^-^3

Snow arrived. It piled up slowly, like a quicksand reminder to Nishinoya that it wasn't a good idea to put things off any longer. But as the days drew closer to Christmas, the less enthusiastic he felt about confronting Azumane. Unfortunately, that lack of enthusiasm showed in his cooking.

The week before Christmas, he had just packaged an omurice for Tanaka to give Kageyama. The oddball duo wasn't eating at the bar that night, because Hinata had caught a cold from one of his kindergarten students, so Kageyama was bringing him comfort food (really, though, _any_ food, because Kageyama couldn't cook). But no sooner had Nishinoya sent it out than Tanaka turned back around.

"Uh, Noya-san—this isn't right."

"Hah?"

"Hey, it's not even omurice. It's… _something_ with eggs. I think." He motioned for Kageyama to hold on. "Noya, go take five. I'll get Hinata's food. But you need to get it together, man."

Nishinoya frowned and sullenly stomped out. He sat at the counter between Ennoshita and Kageyama.

No one said anything.

"I can hear you exchanging a look over my head," the libero griped. He picked up his head. Ennoshita tried to look bashful at least; Kageyama just stared at him.

Ennoshita cleared his throat. "So…uh… Christmas is next week."

"Don't remind me."

Kageyama, bless his heart, got right to the point: "Are you upset at having seen Asahi-san, Noya-senpai?"

Luckily, hearing "-senpai" could still calm him some, so Nishinoya didn't blow up at Kageyama. But he did grimace. "Yes," he said through gritted teeth.

Ennoshita breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

" _How_?"

"Well, you told me about you two, but you didn't want to open up about things. The fact that you admitted you were upset just now—that's a good thing, Noya."

The cook groaned, running his hands over his face and flailing his legs under the bar counter. "But I don't know what to do about it!"

"Do you hate him?"

Huh. After all this time, no one had ever asked Nishinoya that. He'd never even considered that.

Kageyama answered for him, though. "No, Ennoshita-san. We first years only got to know Asahi-san some by meeting him. But we really got to know him through Noya-san. He always talked Asahi-san up to us. He's never had a bad word against him." He beamed at them and stopped when Ennoshita and Nishinoya got shivers from looking at that horrific facsimile of Hinata's smile.

Still, it was heartening to hear his kouhai's words. Had Nishinoya really never said a single poor thing about Azumane?

"Kageyama, order's up!" Tanaka said, emerging from the back. He passed the meal to Kageyama and took the payment. Kageyama bowed his head to the three older men and exited, and then there were just three.

Ennoshita met Tanaka's eyes, and understanding passed between them. Lucky ducks were already at that pseudo-telepathic stage in their relationship.

"All right," Tanaka announced. "Noya, you're barred from the kitchen until you talk with Asahi-san."

" _Eh_?!"

Tanaka looked at Ennoshita and motioned to Nishinoya with his chin. "Show him."

"Show me what?!"

The businessman took out his phone, scrolled through his inbox, and opened a text message, which he showed to Nishinoya:

 _-Ennoshita… I've been thinking… Would you please give my number to Nishinoya? He and I need to talk… It's long overdue…_

"With all those ellipses," Ennoshita commented, "I had to call him to make sure he really meant it. He sounds nervous, but I think he wants to put things right between you two, Noya." He gave his friend a gentle smile. "I've had to learn the hard way that it's worse to say nothing."

Tanaka rolled his eyes as if to say "Been there, done that."

Nishinoya swallowed the lump in his throat. "…okay. But I'd rather talk face to face."

"Tomorrow's Thursday," Tanaka pointed out.

"I'll contact Azumane-san and see if I can't arrange something," Ennoshita offered. He nodded to them and stepped outside to try Azumane.

Nishinoya stared back at his best friend. "Ryuu—"

"Don't worry about it." He reached over the counter and bumped the shorty's shoulder playfully with his fist. "I know, y'know. Not the details. But I figured it out, about you and Asahi-san after Karasuno. But tell me after everything's settled. I'm all ears, Noya."

It stung some, learning that Tanaka had guessed at what Watari had known all these years. Yet Nishinoya supposed that made sense. He and Tanaka were on the same wavelength, after all. If Nishinoya had ever had a brother, Tanaka would be him.

\- ^-^3

There was a knock on his door the next morning. "Noya, good morning."

The libero was already up and at 'em when Ennoshita arrived. He was a little embarrassed by his place and so pulled the door shut behind him without inviting his friend inside. Though his rudeness was forgiven when he passed Ennoshita a little bag. "Cookies," he explained as they descended the stairs in front of the complex.

"For breakfast?" Ennoshita tried one. "They're good."

"Ryuu told me you don't like very sweet things…"

"The oatmeal's delicious, promise." He unlocked the doors to his car and Nishinoya climbed in the passenger side.

"It's my thank-you for setting this up." He paused. "Ironic, really, since I asked you before _not_ to meddle."

"It's fine."

He noted that Ennoshita was still dressed for work. Well, it was nice that Ennoshita wasn't missing work for him, but… "So…where are we going?"

"To meet Azumane-san. When I checked with him, he said this is the only way things would work on short notice."

"We're not going to his place, are we?"

"Oh, no. You two will be meeting on neutral ground."

"Oh. Okay." They drove in silence for several minutes. "So…nice car. Surprised you have one."

Ennoshita shook his head slightly. "I don't. This is Sugawara-san's. I went to work early and asked to borrow it."

Nishinoya's heart swelled. "Just for me? Chikara…!"

"Don't get yourself worked up," the brunet insisted. "I had to offer to make some runs for him in order to take it without planning. Luckily, he agreed."

The cook nodded, but he still felt bubbly. Yeah, Tanaka _was_ lucky to have an Ennoshita.

The ride went on for almost half an hour. They even left the city. But after leaving the city, Nishinoya got the sense they were getting closer to meeting Azumane.

His nerves acted up. He became fidgety, but he took a few breaths and gripped the edge of his seat.

"Hey."

Nishinoya glanced at Ennoshita as they pulled up to an old factory.

"No matter what happens, Noya, I think you'll be okay."

The libero grimaced. "Thanks…but you don't know that."

"No…but I think you still love Azumane-san, otherwise you wouldn't still call him by his first name."

Nishinoya stared at his hand on the seat—his knuckles were white. He let the seat go, but he also didn't refute Ennoshita's observation.

Ennoshita parked and turned the key in the ignition off. "Wait here," he said. He grabbed his briefcase and went inside the building.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the factory had been converted into a warehouse. Nishinoya saw a few forklifts rumble inside. Mostly he saw the pale orange trucks with "UKAI" written in italicized script on the sides parked on the far side of the building. A few were leaving.

When Ennoshita returned, he had Azumane walking in his wake. Azumane timidly waved but didn't smile. Ennoshita opened the driver's side door. "And here we are," the businessman said.

Nishinoya put his hand on his door's handle. "So are we going in or…?"

"No!" Ennoshita yelped. He laughed his abruptness off. "I mean, you guys can sit here and chat for a bit. I promised Sugawara-san I wouldn't be out all day since he didn't ask why I needed his car." He ushered Azumane to sit behind the wheel and was about to close the door when he made a show of looking about himself. "Oh…! How silly of me! I forgot my bag."

The libero's hackles went up. "Chikara—!"

But he slammed the door shut and waved at them. He pointed at the warehouse with a small smile.

"Asahi-san, check your door!" Nishinoya barked.

"R-Right!" But it wouldn't open. "Ahh?!"

Nishinoya pulled on his own handle and even threw his shoulder into it—but it wouldn't open. He cursed and watched Ennoshita saunter into the building, swinging the keys around a finger before pocketing them. "I think there are child locks on these doors."

"Eh?! How is that possible…?!"

"I dunno." Silence settled in the car.

"…I think Suga is rubbing off on him. Maybe Daichi, too," Azumane mumbled.

"This _is_ Suga-san's car." Oh. _Damn_. Nishinoya really should've seen that one coming.

Silence arrived once more. They didn't look at each other directly but kept stealing peeks until one caught the other looking. Azumane sighed and Nishinoya tried to smile.

"You look comfy," the libero said.

Azumane tugged at his orange hoodie and glanced at his black polo. "Oh. Yeah. Uniform for the warehouse. I don't get to wear it as much now that I took a managerial job."

"Distribution, right?"

"Yeah…"

Well, things were going nowhere fast. Nishinoya turned in his seat to face the other man. "I'm gonna just dive right in."

Azumane looked a little green but nodded nevertheless.

"I feel childish and lost. When we split ages ago, it wasn't a clean split. It left me hurt, confused, and angry. I thought that was how it'd be only during our high school years. But it got worse, Asahi-san, after Karasuno. I don't know what either of us was thinking before you left for Coach Ukai's company. But sex and fights and keeping it from our friends—it was a recipe for disaster." He closed his eyes and breathed evenly. "We stopped talking before we really stopped talking."

A ticking noise filled the quiet car. It turned out to be Azumane's wristwatch. "…I feel childish about how we ended things, too," he muttered.

"What happened to us, Asahi-san? I didn't just lose a boyfriend. I lost someone I love—a _friend_."

Azumane frowned and looked at him. "It was too much, Noya."

Nishinoya furrowed his brow. "Huh?"

"All at once. It happened all at once. I'd been the ace since the end of my first year. Then you came to Karasuno. You praised me. You befriended me. You and I were a team—on the court and then off. I felt needed by you in a way that was different from everyone else. But the pressure was too much. When we lost to Datekou, it was my worst fear coming true—that I couldn't be that dependable guy for you. We started fighting so I left the club, hoping that might save you and me at least. But without the club, I didn't try as hard to see you." He grimaced. "After Karasuno, I thought we were adults. I thought time healed everything. If I couldn't balance the pressures of volleyball and romance, then I could handle romance if I no longer played."

"Asahi-san…"

"No, let me finish: It's exactly as you say. We slept together and we fought, but there wasn't any romance involved because we'd stopped talking. I—" The ace's voice caught. "I didn't feel reliable anymore. And you deserve reliable."

Nishinoya stared out the windshield. It wasn't terribly cold out right now, but it had started to snow. He sank into his thick parka.

"Worse yet, things didn't change after I started working here. A few years ago, a blunder of mine got an older worker fired. And he had a _daughter_. In _college_. I still feel bad about Aida-san losing his job, even though he brushed it off like no big thing." Azumane shook his head. "You want to talk lost? I'm there."

The libero sighed. "…me, too."

"What?"

"I'm no good either, Asahi-san. I have _three_ part-time jobs because I don't feel reliable enough for one. I'm still angry, yeah, but that's because I just never moved past us and how we left things. Maybe…maybe we'd be better if we could put it all behind us." He gave the larger man a small smile. "I didn't really want to hit you a few weeks ago, you know."

"Really?" Man, his eyes were big and round.

"Nah. If I could, I'd hit myself. I saw things falling apart between us. I could've tried harder as your libero, as your boyfriend. But I didn't. I don't know how many times I wished that we were the same age and in the same year so that maybe we could've had more time together…and maybe I could've mended that damn glass heart of yours, Asahi-san."

Azumane chuckled lightly. "I think we've been playing the Blame Game all wrong, Noya."

"Tell me about it."

The snow began to stick. It was colder now. Azumane zipped his sweatshirt up the rest of the way. "I actually wanted to have this conversation ages ago. But when Aida-san was fired…it compounded everything. I felt like an even bigger loser. I'm not even sure I should stay the Distribution manager."

"No, stay. You deserve it. Chikara told me you're great here."

"…thanks."

Nishinoya nodded.

Azumane gasped. And then he laughed.

"What?" the cook asked, eyeing him warily.

"I get it now."

"Get what?"

"We stopped working as a team, Noya." He smiled wistfully and watched the snow, though he started to shiver. "No wonder Suga and Daichi are still together."

"Yeah… I guess the same could be said of Ryuu and Chikara."

"Shimizu and Yachi."

"Shouyou and Kageyama." Nishinoya grinned. "Saeko-san and Akiteru-san."

"Did Tsukishima and Yamaguchi…?"

"As far as I know, no. But they're still attached at the hip. They're at The Roost a lot, Tsukishima grumpy as ever and Yamaguchi always with a 'Sorry, Tsukki!' on the tip of his tongue."

"Ha! Do that again! You sounded just like Yamaguchi!"

"Sorry, Tsukki!"

Azumane kept laughing.

"Nice block, Tsukki!" Nishinoya mimicked Yamaguchi's excited face. "Serve a good one, Tsukki!"

"St-Stop…!" The ace had to catch his breath. "Sheesh… Well, wherever they stand, I hope those two are happy together." He looked at Nishinoya, and the latter noted how the smile reached his eyes. Actually, looking at him… Nishinoya's brain abandoned him for a moment.

"Should we give us another go?"

Probably not the right thing to say. Azumane's smile vanished, and he stared, stunned, at Nishinoya. He chuckled nervously. "Noya…"

The libero's face flushed red and he held his head in his hands. "Oh, god…! Why did I say that?! Just ignore me! Argh!"

"Noya."

"Urgh…!"

" _Noya_." Azumane grabbed his wrists and made Nishinoya look at him. "I haven't even said anything yet."

"It's probably better that you don't." Nishinoya internally kicked himself. So much for wanting to move on.

But Azumane's eyes said otherwise. Maybe, just maybe they had blasted their past away by talking about it. Maybe this could be the start of something new… Then the ace sighed and gave him a puppy-ish look. "Oh, Noya…"

Maybe not.

Azumane realized he still had hold of Nishinoya's wrists and released him. He sat facing forward behind the steering wheel, lips pursed as he thought. Things couldn't be more awkward.

"Just kill me now, please."

"No, Noya…" He glanced at the smaller man. "But maybe we should think it over and talk again after Christmas or New Year's?"

Nishinoya gaped at him, wide-eyed. "Really?"

"I don't think that would've slipped out if a part of you didn't mean it. And…we're not the same as back then. We know what went wrong. We wouldn't let it happen again—and our friends would make sure of that. I wouldn't suggest we give it some thought if I _didn't_ mean it."

The cook was too—happy? Ecstatic? Was there an appropriate enough word to describe his emotional state in that moment?—for words. His head bobbed up and down excitedly.

"Then we're in agreement." He shivered. "Cripes… Call Ennoshita, will you? Tell him to get out here and let me back into the warmth of my warehouse…!"

Nishinoya laughed and did as he asked.

\- ^-^3

Business was as usual at The Roost in the days that followed. Yet one change was noticeable: Nishinoya was back on his game.

Driving back that day, Ennoshita had been happy to hear that they'd made up. After, Nishinoya told Tanaka everything—even about them considering giving it another shot. Though he cautioned Nishinoya that things would be hard to recover from if it blew up in their faces a third time, he was almost as giddy as his best friend. It made for a _much_ more enjoyable working atmosphere.

Even Saeko-san and Akiteru-san swung by on Christmas Eve. "It's pretty lively in here," she stated when she poked her head into the backroom.

The cook laughed. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were in their usual booth and Ennoshita sat with Narita and Kinoshita at the counter, but the place was otherwise vacant. "Nice one, Saeko-san."

"Hey, did Ryuunosuke tell you? Chikara's birthday is the day after Christmas," the blonde continued.

"I know. I have the perfect cake in mind," he replied, thinking about how he'd finally make that blue fondant cake. "Oh, by the way—" He wiped his hands, faced her, and bowed. "I'd like to work here fulltime!"

Saeko-san stared at him, hands on hips. "Well…I'm glad you have the initiative, Yuu."

He eyed her expectantly.

"I'll see if we can swing it."

"I can put up some of my own money! Honestly! I want to give The Roost my all!"

Saeko-san sighed and chuckled. "All right. But are you sure you can scrape by just by working here?"

Good point. Nishinoya decided he'd leave the construction company but continue to help out at Shared Stem. "I'm working tomorrow, even," he added bashfully.

She ruffled his hair. "Don't overdo it, Yuu. …besides, a little birdie let it slip about you and Asahi." She winked while he reddened. "Good for you! He's a babe."

\- ^-^3

The night of Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning found Nishinoya Yuu dreaming of old, happy sensations. When he awoke, it was with a sleepy smile on his face and the ghost of a person's warmth on his skin.

Azumane Asahi once upon a time would fall asleep with his head on Nishinoya's chest. It was nice, the libero mused, that he could still recall that feeling as if Azumane had been right there for real.

He got up and went to the bathroom to splash water on his face. He needed to calm down. He was hopeful, sure, but also anxious. While he felt good about the next time he and Azumane spoke, that wasn't a guarantee.

To soothe his soul, Nishinoya tidied up his apartment since it was still two hours before he needed to open the boutique for the short six-hour shift. The kitchen didn't need to be touched because he always kept it neat and clean. The rest of the place…meh. Then he turned his efforts to his closet.

Opening it nearly caused an avalanche. Clothes and blankets and everything else splashed out and nearly buried Nishinoya. Even a box fell and clipped him in the head with a corner.

"Ow…! What the hell?!"

He hopped up, kicking the fabric away, and grabbed the box. When had he put something like that up there only to come crashing down? And what the heck was _in_ it that made it so heavy?!

But then he opened the cardboard flaps, and it all made sense. Yet where once he might've grown depressed to look at the contents, now he could eye them fondly…

Just then, his doorbell rang.

"Coming!" he called. He stumbled up, eyed the mess, and kicked half of it under the kotatsu.

Azumane smiled shyly down at him. "H…hey."

"YOUR HAIR!"

"Ah, yeah… I did it impulsively two days ago. Suga freaked, too, when I stopped by, and Daichi evened it out for me." His smile wavered. "Why? Is it horrible?"

"N-Nope." Nishinoya had to look away to get his heart under control. The long, long hair had been nice, too, but now Azumane's hair stopped a little below his chin—kinda like their high school days, but the style on the older Azumane just seemed so much sexier.

"I needed a fresh start," the bearded man continued.

Nishinoya sobered up. That could mean anything… "Oh?"

Azumane's grin put him at ease. "I know I said after Christmas…but I couldn't wait." He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh." Wait. Was this really happening?! "I have to work soon," the cook said dumbly.

His guest's face fell. "Oh… Sorry. I shouldn't've—sorry. I shouldn't have asked Ennoshita for your address."

"No! No, it's fine. I'm just— Your arrival… And your hair…" Suddenly Nishinoya was aware of something in his hand—something he'd grabbed from the box. He chuckled at himself and held up the ponytailed plush bear. "Remember this?"

"The UFO catcher doll from that time we were out all night." Azumane gaped at him. Then he shut his mouth and pulled a little keychain from his pocket. It was an angry little angel—also from that night.

Nishinoya licked his lips and grinned, gazing up at the other man. "I've got a whole box of you, Asahi-san."

"I do, too." His shoulders eased up, and he tucked a lock of hair behind his ear.

"I had a dream of you last night."

His cheeks reddened. "Really?" He shuffled on his feet and mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"I did, too!" Azumane rushed.

Nishinoya beamed at him. "You know… I don't know if we'll get it right. I'd like to think we will, and I definitely want to try."

Azumane nodded. "Third time's the charm, they say," he pointed out.

The libero agreed, and he invited his old yet new love inside to show him the rest of the contents of the box that had held his heart.

\- ^-^3

 **8D I've wanted to write this story since…maybe the 2** **nd** **EnnoTana story, "Hiring"? Anyway, I LOVE Asanoya, and because it was important to me to parallel canon events in this AU, I knew how much this story would ruin me. Dx BUT! I think it turned out well, and I got to hint at certain stories to come (at least two pairs mentioned in a little detail here will get some screen time in the future). I have to say, though, I still have some reservations about Asanoya making up so quickly, and I wasn't even sure they would until it actually happened! Hmm, other comments… I like cook!Noya and a Noya that works multiple jobs (I like the AU Noya and Asahi here quite a bit), but I also loved it when Kageyama informed Ennoshita and the audience that Noya wouldn't necessarily badmouth Asahi in front of the first years—a little different from the manga, but I think because this Noya had actually been involved with Asahi and felt guilt more acutely with everything that happened, he would not be as quick to call Asahi a coward in front of others who barely knew him. Plus, these two never stopped loving each other, even though they couldn't get things right the first two times… -w- Also, doting!Tanaka and meddlesome!Ennoshita are so cute. c: And regarding Suga's car—let's not even talk about child locks being where they shouldn't. ;P At least Asanoya were locked in a place so they could talk! XP Lastly, Oh Land's song, "3 Chances," is WAY too accurate for this fic, so let's some up Asanoya in the lyrics: "Do two hearts get three chances?" :')))**

 **Well, thank you for reading, and please review! A drabble set a little after this featuring Shimiyachi, "Circumstances," is also up! And the 5** **th** **EnnoTana story, "Closing," will be posted in the** _ **Birds of a Feather**_ **collection soon, so stay tuned and look for the links to all the stories in this AU located at the bottom of my profile.**

 **-mew-tsubaki :D**


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